NATIONAL middle-order batsman Assad Fudadin has described his late call-up to the West Indies ‘A’ team as a pleasant surprise and an opportunity that he would take full advantage of, in an effort to fulfil his desire to play Test cricket for the West Indies. The Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTYSC) left-handed batsman flew out of Guyana last Friday to be a part of the ‘A’ team’s tour to England and is eager to perform well and to cement himself in the team for future tours.
Fudadin, who has represented the West Indies at the Under-15 and Under-19 levels before, was determined to score quite heavily and one of his main goals was to register his first century at the first class level.
The talented left-handed batsman over the past weeks has been working overtime on his physical fitness and mental aspect of his game, training twice per day at the Area ‘H’ ground along with fellow club mate and West Indies limited overs player Royston Crandon and has described himself physically and mentally prepared for the tour to England.
He is accustomed to playing in the English conditions, having played three years in the leagues over there and knows that to expect on the pitches in the early summer.
Fudadin who was born on the January 8, 1985 to Mohamed and Zorina Fudadin of Rose Hall Town, joined the RHTYSC at the tender age of  11 years and has gone on to represent Berbice and Guyana at both the junior and senior levels with great success.
He was a member of the victorious West Indies Under-15 team that won the 2000 Costcutter Under-15 World Cup, where he walked away with the man-of-the-match award in the finals played at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground against Pakistan for his match-winning 55.
In 2004 he represented the region at the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka after performing well for the National Under-19 Team with both bat and ball and in 2009, was appointed captain of the Berbice senior cricket team and led from the front as the Ancient County captured both the limited overs and four-day Inter-county titles, including a double-century scored against Essequibo.
In the 2010 Regional first class season, he was the only Guyanese batsman to score over 300 runs to add to the 400 plus runs he scored in the 2009 season, which was a testimony to his form that was carried over from the Inter-county tournament.
He has a top score of 94 at the first class level, scored against the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) along has several half-centuries at this level.
Fudadin has admitted his frustration at not being able to converge his half-centuries into centuries at the Regional level, but expressed his confidence that several are not too far away.
With the West Indies middle order batting a bit fragile recently, Fudadin was aware that a good performance for the West Indies ‘A’ team can open doors for him at the highest level as it did recently for Trinidad and Tobago’s Darren Bravo.
He credits his membership of the RHTYSC for all his achievements on the cricket field as the management and members of the club have always inspired players on to greater heights.
Fudadin stated that being a member of the RHTYSC he has learnt the importance of discipline, hard work, and commitment and to never give up when seeking to fulfil your dream. He made special mention of the impact Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster has had in shaping his career – along with his entire family.
A grateful Fudadin also mentioned Carl Moore, Albert Smith, Ravindranauth Seeram, Roger Harper, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul for the role they played in his development over the years at the senior level.
He also praised Mr and Mrs Ravi Mangar of Gizmos and Gadgets for the sponsorship of the RHTYSC first division as that has allowed him and his teammates to concentrate and play the game of cricket in a relaxed and competitive environment.
Fudadin will return home next month. He is determined to play a major role in improving Guyana’s cricket, as the current status was way below the expected standards.
A keen follower of the game’s rich history and tradition, Fudadin is quite aware of what the game of cricket means to the Caribbean people and the rich legacy left by cricketing greats like Sir Frank Worrell, Clive Lloyd, George Headley, Sir Vivian Richards and his idol, Brian Lara.
He is confident that after the ‘A’ Team tour is over in July, he would be one step closer to becoming the first RHTYSC player and 14th Berbician to play Test cricket, and with a smile on his face disclosed that it would be the fulfilment of a childhood dream and reward for the countless hours he spent each week working on his game. (Calvin Roberts)